By Pareasa Rahimi

University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Professor, Interim Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship and Marie O’Koren Endowed Chair in Nursing Ellen Lavoie Smith, PhD, MSN, RN, AOCN, FAAN, is the 2025 recipient of the Oncology Nursing Society Distinguished Researcher Award. This award recognizes the contributions of an ONS member who conducts or promotes research that enhances the science and practice of oncology nursing. Smith presented her research and was honored at the annual ONS Congress in April.

For the past 25 years, Smith's research has focused on advancing the measurement and treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, a nerve disorder that can develop during or after chemotherapy treatment causing symptoms including numbness, tingling and pain in the hands and feet. This side effect commonly occurs in patients receiving neurotoxic chemotherapy treatments for numerous cancers, including breast cancer, colorectal cancer and multiple myeloma. While these chemotherapy drugs are effective at treating, controlling and potentially curing these cancers, these side effects can persist for years and often compromise the ability to deliver treatments as well as quality of life.

“The reason I pursued this research is that, as a nurse practitioner, my job was to support the patients while they were getting the chemotherapy and manage their symptoms, but I was seeing patients struggle with this under-recognized symptom,” Smith said. “To be able to make a difference and identify anything at all that may be able to help people is why I do what I do. Another important mission for me is to train the next generation to continue the work to find the solution.”

Smith co-leads the UAB Cancer Prevention and Control T32 training program, funded by the National Cancer Institute, which trains individuals who are committed to becoming independent researchers in the areas of cancer prevention, early detection, cancer outcomes, survivorship and palliative care. She also recently completed a large National Cancer Institute-funded multi-site clinical trial through the National Clinical Trials Network testing a drug to prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has a strong track record for supporting doctoral trainees and early career researchers, among others. Her contributions have earned her numerous other national awards, including the 2018 Fellows of the National Institute of Nursing Research Welch/Woerner Path Paver Award.